If you’re looking to pause time, we’ve got good news — when it comes to biological aging, that’s the aging process that happens inside your cells, sweating can help.
Specifically, sweating due to high-impact exercise, which can lower your biological age by nearly a decade, according to researchers.
The study, conducted at Brigham Young University and published in the Preventive Medicine medical journal, looked at the data of more than 5,800 adults aged 20-84. The study looked at the participants’ biological age by examining the length of their telomeres — these are the protective DNA caps at the end of chromosomes.
Telomeres prevent your DNA from getting damaged; they shorten as we get older, and shortened telomeres are often associated with age-related diseases. The measurement is taken through blood samples.
The researchers found that people who consistently performed high levels of physical activity, specifically high-impact activity, had longer telomeres than those with sedentary lifestyles.
For the study, to be highly active, women had to engage in 30 minutes of jogging per day and men had to engage in 40 minutes per day, each for five days per week. They concluded that regular high-impact exercise added nine years of reduced cellular aging.
“If you want to see a real difference in slowing your biological aging, it appears that a little exercise won’t cut it,” exercise science professor Larry Tucker said. “You have to work out regularly at high levels.”
If you’re new to jogging, it can be difficult to know where to start. Mixing jogging with walking intervals as you get fitter and build up your distance, also known as Jeffing, can be beneficial. Here’s everything you need to know about Jeffing, and a round-up of the best running shoes on the market.
That said, if you’re not a runner or you’re worried about the impact of running on your joints, high-intensity training doesn’t have to involve pounding the sidewalk or hours on the treadmill.
HIIT training, cycling sprints on a stationary bike, taking a spin class, or using the rowing machine in the gym all count as high-intensity exercise. Find the one that works for you, and you’ll increase your cardiovascular fitness while lowering your biological age.
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